


the missing puzzle piece

by mcyt_trash



Category: Dream SMP (Fandom), Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gay, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29699244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcyt_trash/pseuds/mcyt_trash
Summary: not good at summaries at all.alex, nick, and karl live in the city. alex struggles with things his best friends don't know about.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Karl Jacobs & Sapnap, Alexis | Quackity & Sapnap, Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs, Karl Jacobs & Sapnap
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	1. "could i stay at your place tonight?"

**Author's Note:**

> um hi. i dont have a lot of experience with writing. this was all based off a dream i had and im just writing it as it was presented. the first chapter is my dream but going on is me writing from there. there might be future trigger warnings but please look at the tags before reading.

alex looked over to the stage and felt his lips curve into a grin. karl was completely drunk having to lean on nick for support as they were both screaming into the karaoke microphone. once the song was over everyone cheered as nick helped karl off the stage. the bartender handed him his beer bottle to go as he swiveled the chair to look at his friends. "man you guys are lucky, one more voice crack from either of you and i would've been out the door." "oh haha," nick said in response as he sat the drunken karl down on the chair next to alex. 

alex opened the beer and took a sip from it. karl laid his head on alex's shoulder. "m' tired nicky." nick looked at alex who shrugged and grabbed his jacket. "alright lets get you home," he said with a sigh at the end as he slung an arm under karl left arm. 

alex put on his jacket slowly, his arm being a little sore from a street fight he got in yesterday. he was the only one who knew. he carefully held his drink in his hand making his way to the front door of the bar. nick was behind him with karl helping him walk. he opened the door for the two and they made their way towards karls apartment. 

-

as they were walking nick and karl were walking on the sidewalk while alex was in the middle of the road. he was kicking pebbles and rocks in the road. alex couldn't help but periodically glance at karl and nick. he smiled every time he looked at his two best friends. he noticed how every five minutes nick would whisper to karl to see if he was still conscious. alex looked down to his feet and looked at the yellow lines on the road. 

alex always dreamt of living with the two. waking up in the morning to the both of them with messy hair and wrinkled clothes. they've had many sleepovers but they weren't often. 

he was a little behind the two and he looked up at the back of nicks head. he admired how nice nicks body was, but not in a sexual way, no. he was tall and filled out with muscle on his arms and a little on his legs. he liked how the hair on the back of his head went down to his neck and ended there. it was almost as long as the hair on the top of his head but still short. alex on the other end was the shortest of the three. he was thin but not as thin as karl. the only reason karl was this drunk was because of his weight and the amount he drank. karl wasn't underweight but he was small for his age. alex was strong but he wasn't able to produce muscle like nick. his body was always tired but he dragged himself around with karl and nick anyway because he enjoyed the company. the only other company he got was from his mom who he visited almost twice a year. being with nick and karl made him-

"alex!" 

he looked up and met nicks eyes. he was farther away than he thought, about a meter. 

"you've been standing there for like 5 minutes! get over here!" 

alex jogged over to them and kept walking like they were. he never noticed that he stopped. he was stuck in his head. karl groaned and pointed to a gas station nearby. the tallest man looked around and spotted a nearby bench. "alex can you take him?" he nodded and passed the drunk boy to alex. alex held him the same way nick did and walked to the bench. he heard the gas station bell ding signaling that nick went in. 

he sat karl down on the bench and sat next to him. karl sighed and laid his head on alex's shoulder for the second time that night. the older male was very affectionate to his two best friends, always hugging and clinging on to them. they both didn't mind at all. alex smiled at karls tired expression. he slowly laid his head on top of karls and karl hummed in delight. 

alex enjoyed the moments like these because they rarely happened. his emotions aren't a thing he expresses a lot but hes gotten comfortable with nick and karl to the point where he could tell them anything. anything, being almost nothing. 

karl was tracing swirls and hearts on the palm of his hand. he wouldn't be lying if he said he enjoyed it. the soft touch made his breathing slow down and it was calming him. the fluffy hair on his cheek was soft and soothing. almost like a pillow. he felt himself getting tired so he outlined the cracks on the road with his eyes. every circle and shape being different in size and ridged outline. 

the ringing from the bell made alex look at the gas station door. nick was walking up to them with a grin holding three waters and two packs of peanut butter and cheese crackers. he lifted his head off of karls and looked at nick give karl the crackers and a water which he took gratefully. he quickly opened the crackers and ate them. 

"here, clear out your system." i looked up at him and then looked at his hand with the water in it. i took the water and finished the last of my beer. i looked around for a trash can but none were near. he threw the bottle on the road with a loud smash. karl flinched at the sound but then continued eating. alex took a big drink of the water being dehydrated from the alcohol. "thirsty?" nick asked as alex closed the bottle of water. "not anymore," he sighed and put both of his arm on the back of the bench. "still a little tipsy tho." 

alex tilted his head up to the sky taking in the fresh air and feeling the four in the morning wind on his face. he heard the chewing stop and looked over at karl. he tried to throw the wrappers but they ended up falling to the floor, lacking weight. "holy shit karl! since when were you a vacuum cleaner? you inhaled those crackers!" alex said to karl while laughing. karl ignored him and placed his head back on alex's shoulder. 

"you wanna get home karl?" nick looked at karl who was obviously drifting off to sleep. alex watched as nick stood up and picked up karl. karls head fell to rest on nicks shoulder. alex stood up himself making his way down the road again. nick on the sidewalk with karl and alex back on the road, acting as if the yellow line was a tightrope. 

-

"fuck the elevators broken," alex looked at the pink slip on the elevator doors say they were out of service. "we'll have to take the stairs." he pointed to the right and nick looked over to find the stairs. karl was asleep but nick started to wake him up as they were heading up the stairs. alex's legs were hurting from the long walk but he didn't mind too much. 

he led the way up the stairs as the other two were following behind. he opened the door to the fifth floor as nick walked into the narrow but spacious hallway. karl being woken up by the temperature change complained about the heat. 

they got to his apartment door and nick set down karl as he put out his hand. karl dug in his pocket for his keys and gave them to him. the taller boy opened the door and led karl inside. alex stood in between the two doors leaning against the wall that separated the two living areas. he rummaged around in his pocket and felt the bag with the specific shaped candy. 

he would save that for later.

nick came out of the apartment room after a short while. he locked the apartment with the spare key he had. "i told him if he had a hangover the next morning to take some tylenol and try and eat something," alex nodded "i also told him to eat something nutritional-" "you told karl the same thing when i was drunk and passing out as i was walking a week ago." nick laughed and alex started to walk towards the stairs. nick jogged to catch up with alex, placing a hand on his lower back as they descended down the staircase. 

they got to the front desk and nick pushed open the door for alex. they made their way towards the shorter ones apartment. they walked in a comfortable silence with nicks hand still placed on his lower back. 

alex stopped walking. 

nick stopped walking.

"could i stay at your place tonight?"

"absolutely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading if you made it through. i appreciate you reading and hope you liked it. all i know is the chapter posts will be inconsistent and i dont know when the next chapter is going to be. thanks again and i hope you enjoyed :)


	2. "is there something wrong quackers?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nick and alex talk.

alex woke up on the floor. he immediately noticed his head throbbing. he groaned and sat back on the couch seeing his clothes on the coffee table. he looked down and saw nicks baggy shirt and sweatpants on him. he smiled to himself and took his clothes and headed to the bathroom. 

he headed back to the couch and layed down. he took out his phone and scrolled through instagram and twitter. getting bored he went to his camera roll and scrolled through his pictures. he noticed that all of them, or the majority, was of him karl and nick. he looked at all of them before he let out a little scream. 

nick had come up behind him and shook him a little making him yelp. nick laughed and saw alex turn off his phone and put it on the coffee table. "good morning." nick walked over to the kitchen, alex following close behind. nick started to get out ingredients from the fridge and some bread from his cabinet. 

alex sat on the counter and leaned his head on the cabinet behind him. "you sleep well?" nick sounded like his mother. he sighed and leaned over, propping his elbows on his knees and holding his head in his hands. nick noticed and started filling a glass with water and grabbing a pill, presumably tylenol. 

he handed him the pill and the water. alex took the pill, swallowing all of the water in the glass. he set it down on the counter and went back to his earlier position. nick walked to stand in the middle of his legs. alex didn't drink as much as he usually does on those night but this was the worst headache hes hand after a night of drinking. nick could tell because of the time hes spent around him. 

"where does it hurt? on the sides or?" "fucking temples." he gently moved alex's hands and started to massage his temples. alex took a deep breath and wasn't going to talk about how his heart started racing. 

nick leaned forward and so did alex at the same time. their foreheads linked together as nick still massaged his head, hoping that alex's headache would go away. alex let his hands slip around nicks waist as he forced his heartbeat started to slow. 

after a little longer nick let a hand fall to alex's cheek and the other on his knee. nick pulled his head back to look at alex in front of him. alex observed how nick looked at his lips for a second and started to move closer to him. alex was also doing the same but his breath hitched and he stopped. nick noticed and backed away slightly. 

"is there something wrong quackers?" alex expected him to be annoyed but he had a soft tone in his voice. nick took his hand off of alex's cheek and moved his hand farther up alex's thigh. alex takes another deep breath and starts to speak. 

"i feel like.. there's something missing. i have no idea what it is but i know that i can find it. i just need sometime. i know its here but i just need to figure out what it is," he put a hand on nicks cheek like nick had done just seconds ago. "i want to do this, whatever this is. i just don't think i can do it without the- the thing." 

nick nodded his head, understanding the best he could as he rubbed the others thigh with his thumb. "alright, i understand." that was enough to make alex tear up and start silently crying. nick didn't even notice until alex let out a very quiet sob. nicks eyes widened a bit but he quickly engulfed alex in a hug. alex wrapped his arms around his friends neck as he felt arms around his waist. 

nick was a little surprised. he knew his best friend had emotions but he rarely showed them. he was crying so quietly and he didn't know how. nick knew that karl and himself were loud cryers, having a few emotional times during their friendship. he was just perplexed but knew that that was the least of his worries. 

he felt alex's shaking from his crying die down and started rubbing circles on his back. alex pulled away from nick and they both locked eyes. nick moved some of his black hair away from his face. "you okay alex?" alex nodded and looked around to see his beanie on a chair in the living room. 

he nudged nick and nick knew immediately what alex wanted. he backed away from alex as the shorter male walked and grabbed his beanie from the chair, putting it on his head. "hey i think im gonna go." alex smiled at nick who followed hime to the front door of his house. 

"i was going to ask karl if we all could hang out this afternoon." "oh hell yeah! what time?" nick pulled out his phone and texted karl. he was at his job by now but he hoped his hangover was going away. "he said around five so we can get dinner then." alex nodded and started heading out the door. 

"hey hey hey! you can't get away that easy." alex turned around to see nick with his arms open for a hug. alex rolled his eyes but gladly hugged him. he felt nick out his chin on his head. "i'm glad you told me that today, you know you can tell me and karl anything." 

alex smiled and looked up at nick. "i know, i would never lie to you guys." nick smiled at him and resisted placing a kiss on his forehead. alex pulled away and made his way out of sight, heading down the road to his living space.

-

alex kept on thinking about what happened earlier. moments like those have happened before. nick and alex knew there was something between them. there was always a distraction that stopped them from doing what they wanted. alex knew that there was a place in his heart for nick and karl. he was very close with both of them and didn't want either of them left out of anything. 

there were times when only two of them hung out but they would tell the other the next day. his whole life revolved around his two best friends and that was all he needed. 

he reached in his back pocket and grabbed a crumpled box of cigarettes. he opened the box and took out his lighter and one cigar. he put it in his mouth and lighted it, blowing the smoke out of his mouth. 

alex had problems with things. he was a little bit of an alcoholic, a smoker, and he was a drug addict. nick and karl knew that alex would frequently drink but they never knew about the smoking or the drugs. alex was happy they didn't know but he knew that one day he would have to tell them. 

he looked around and headed into the alley next to him. he spotted the familiar trash can and the ladder on the side of the building that was starting to rust. he threw his cigarette on the ground and squished it with his foot causing the little flame to go out. he climbed up the ladder that headed to the top floor of the building. he climbed through the window that he had broken over a year ago. he looked around and found the dirty desk. he pushed it up against the broken window. covering half of the gap.

he started up the stairs getting to the roof door. he pushed it open and spotted his blankets and tub of clothes. he smiled at it and walked over to it. he didn't enjoy living here but it was enough. he sat down on the blankets and pulled everything out of his pockets, setting them down on the rooftop floor. 

alex envied karl and nick. having stable jobs and being able to live in a safe space. alex had always tried to have a job. he got accepted to them yes but he was always fired for his clumsiness and lack of effort. he just gave up. he got his money from his mom. she gave him one hundred dollars every month, even if she told her he had a job. he saved at least fifty to seventy dollars every month. 

hes been saving for at least two years and its proven to be good. he has over one thousand dollars saved and hes proud of himself for that. he hopes to find an apartment with cheap rent that he can stay in but he likes on the roof of the abandoned building. he could see karls apartment complex from here but since karl lives on the fifth floor he wouldn't be able to see alex. 

he smelled the air that reeked of smoke and alcohol. when hes on the ground, it smells like cake and lavender. the lavender body wash that nick uses always has a strong odor and karl just loves cake.

alex laid down thinking of the two. he started to smell the scents and felt a grin on his face. he closed his eyes and heard the birds chirping. alex loved the life he was living. he just wished it was better. dreaming of the day he could be carefree in an apartment.

alex fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ello hope you liked it and i can confirm that there will be more karl in the future. ik hes not here much but yes karl will be sober.


	3. lips on lips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> title explains the shit idk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i genuinely forgot i was writing this but now im writing again

karl woke up, his body feeling stiff. he looked on his nightstand and saw a yellow sticky note. he felt awful and he needed a shower. he sat up and rubbed his head. he picked up the sticky note and read it.

_ karl,  _

_ you were really drunk last night and me and quackers took you home. i left you in your clothes from yesterday sorry if you wake up uncomfortable with that. if you have a hangover take some headache medicine and make sure you get enough rest. we're hanging at your place tomorrow hope you have something planned ;) - sappy _

he smiled at the note and put it in his pocket. he looked at his clothes that he had on from yesterday. he stinks. he cringes at his stench and gets up to take a shower. 

once karl gets up he feels the pain coming to his head. he ignores it for now and grabs some white pants, a decorative shirt and his iconic colorful hoodie. he makes his way to the bathroom and locks the door. he undresses and gets in the shower. 

-

"i know sap but i just worry sometimes." he made a right turn on the road. "me too karl but we can't make him uncomfortable or else hes not going to tell us anything. you know how he gets-" "yes,yes, i know, but i just don't know if hes ever going to tell us anything if we confront him. what if he starts to ignore us or not talk to us anymore or-" "karl," he heard his name come through the phone. "calm down. we need to trust him with what he tells us and what he doesn't. if hes not ready then hes not ready." karl sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "alright." 

karl heard nick take a deep breath from the other end of the phone. "..see you later?" even though karl was stressed out he smiled and nodded. he quickly realized nick wasn't in the same place as him and made a noise of confirmation. "okay, have fun at work." "yeah i will." nick hung up and karl pulled into the parking lot. he turned off the car and slumped into his seat. taking in the cold fall air he opened the door and headed into the bakery.

"maggie!" he shouted with an echo bouncing off the walls. he got no response. "maggie!" he shouted louder. again, no response. he pulled out his phone and saw his manager had texted him. 

he groaned in annoyance. he was going to have to deliver at least 10 orders of hors d'oeuvres today. he grabbed five orders from the back and walked out to put them in his car. today was going to be a long work day for karl.

-

alex was in a bar for the second time in a twelve hour span. it was local but it wasn't the best. he knew he was going to hangout with his best friends again. he just need a little fix as he would call it. but the fix wasn't so little. he had already downed four to five beers and was already loopy as ever. the bartender handed him his last drink and he took it. 

he stood up from the seat he sat in and walked out of the bar. he walked on the road like he did the night before. he could not walk straight at all. he was close to falling over every step he took but quickly regained balance after another step. his phone vibrated in his pocket and he took it out. he observed the lock screen then eyed the faded grey box. he unlocked his phone and saw the message from karl.

** kArLoS :3 **

_ get over to my apartment nimrod  _

** small q ♡︎ **

_ akrighy ill br therr im 5 mims _

** kArLoS :3 **

_ i guess your autocorrect isnt working today _

_ see you when you get here _

alex put his phone back in his pocket and finished his drink. he threw the bottle over his head and continued making his way to karls apartment. his footing was getting sloppier by the minute and he was so close to hitting the floor but he got to karls apartment complex and stumbled his way in.

he trudged his way up the stairs until he got to the door of the fifth floor. he opened it and fell to the ground. he laughed and laughed and laughed. 

"alex?" he heard nicks voice and turned his head from the floor to see him standing in the hallway. alex just laughed harder at that. karl was standing behind nick trying not to laugh himself. the taller one whispered something to the other and karls smile faded. nick frowned and walked over to alex who was still doubled over in laughter. 

"alex what the hell? how much did you drink?" he calmed down enough for him to answer nick. "i only drank like six, calm down sappyyy." nick sighed and helped alex up off the floor. nick brought alex over to karl and went into the apartment. karl locked the door from the inside as alex was leaning onto nick for support. 

karl just hugged the shorter man. alex hugged back and sighed in content, smelling the cake that he wanted to for the past few hours. karl rubbed the mans back, the phone call from a few hours ago replaying in his head. "lets sit you down." karl led him to the couch and sat him down. nick was still standing, annoyed at the fact alex knew they were hanging out and still went to drink. 

karl sat next to alex and let alex lay on his head on his lap. "get this fuckin thing off me." alex grabbed the beanie off his head and threw it on the floor. nick came and sat down next to karl and groaned in frustration. nick looked down at alex, seeing him with closed eyes. 

"its only five and you need to eat something alex." he remembered the moment from this morning and replayed it in his mind. smiling at the impossible closeness between them. "i'll eat later just give me a second." 

karl was playing with alex's hair and that wasn't helping alex stay awake. "karl you smell good." alex reached up to put a hand on karls cheek. karl giggled and took alex's hand of his cheek and held it. "thanks quackmiester." alex smiled at him and turned onto his side. 

nick smiled at their fondness. "hey do you want me to go get some food?" "if you wanna, i could go instead." karl offered politely. "no no no i'll go. want me to get chinese?" alex gasped and looked at nick with puppy dog eyes. "could we pleeeasssee get chinese?" nick laughed and nodded. he put on his shoes and walked out the door of karls apartment. 

karl continued playing with alex's hair and admired his facial features. his long eyelashes, the way his lips curved, and his cute beauty marks that were sprinkled on his face. he kind of liked when alex was drunk. he was calmer and more open but he could get really flirty with the both of them. 

"your staring karl." alex saw how a light pink hue made its way onto karls cheeks. "am i that beautiful karloss?" alex laughed and kissed karls hand which made the shade on his face darker. "yeah you handsome devil." now alex had a layer of pink on his cheeks. 

alex sat up and looked at karl observing his features. their hands were still intertwined. karl and alex made eye contact for a few minutes before alex started to lean in, quicker than he himself expected. karl wanted to stop him but at the same time he didn't. 

their lips locked. 

fireworks were going off in alex's and karls brains. their lips moved in sync like they were meant to touch. karl pulled away realizing what was actually happening. "alex i-" he looked into alex's eyes and all he could see was love. he was hesitant but leaned in again. it felt like a weight was lifted off karls chest as he felt alex deepen the kiss.

alex started to lay karl down on the couch and hover above him, not breaking the kiss for a second. karl tangled his fingers in alex's hair while the male on top of him trailed his hand up and down his hip. karl needed air.

he pushed alex slightly and alex pulled away. karl breathed in the air that smelled like alcohol due to alex's earlier drinking. alex put some hair behind karls ear before placing their foreheads together. the two boys both had smiles on their faces. alex pecked karls lips one more time before moving to lay his head on karls chest. basically laying on karl but the older boy didn't mind. 

before karl could even take in the events that he just experienced, he heard the soft snores of alex. watching alex sleep was a habit that karl had. whenever he slept he looked like an angel and karl loved that. once he knew it he fell asleep too, listening to the silent snores that came from the boy who just took his first kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah so yeah


	4. storm warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the eye of the storm before it comes crashing in.

nick knocked on the door for the third time. "karl! hey you in there!" he realized that something could be wrong and immediately took out his spare key. he unlocked the apartment door and his heart rate calmed when he saw alex and karl asleep on the couch. he turned around and locked the apartment door. he now felt bad because he could've woken up one of the two.

he put the food on the kitchen counter and grabbed his meal. he ate his food while looking over to his best friends sleeping every once in a while. 

after he was finished, he put the other two meals in the fridge and walked over to the two on the couch. he smiled at them and sat on the one person sofa that karl owned. he pulled his phone out of his pocket and took a picture of the two of them. he sent it to his best friends clay and george. 

** george  ☽ **

_ how did that end up happening? _

** clay :-l **

_cute ♡︎♡︎_

** sap  **

_i have no idea_

_ i was gone getting them food but they decided to fall asleep  _

** clay :-l **

_ so inconsiderate  _

** george  ☽ **

_ rude _

he laughed and shut off his phone. he admired the two as they slept. eyeing alex's peaceful face and quiet snoring and karls messy hair and the way he had his arm drooped over alex's chest. he wouldn't say he was jealous because he enjoyed the sight in front of him. he would say that he felt little butterflies in his stomach. he went to sleep with a smile on his face and thought about what would happen in the morning.

-

karl was the first one to wake up. he was going to stretch but then felt the weight on his chest. he looked down and saw black hair that he knew so well. he moved hair out of the way of alex's eyes and smiled at him. 

he watched as alex moved around and looked up at him with squinted eyes. "how the fuck did i get here?" karl laughed but his dry throat from just waking up cut it short. "you walked over here yourself you dummy." alex rolled his eyes and turned to lay on his stomach. he was still laying on karl now lookin straight at him. 

alex licked his lips and cringed at the taste. "did i eat cake last night?" "no, but i had a piece before you and nick came over." karls played with alex's hair while alex was messing with the sleeve of karls knitted sweater. 

nick sighed and they both turned their heads to look at him. "well goodmorning you two," he smiled at them and sat on the floor next to the couch. "want me to make you guys something to eat?" the shorter men nodded in sync and nick got up and headed to karls kitchen. alex spotted his beanie on the floor and leaned over to grab it. karl had a hold on his arm making sure he didn't fall off the couch. he went to put it on but karl grabbed it from him. 

"ayy what the hell?!" alex protested but karl was lifting the beanie behind his head. "no, i like your hair." alex rolled his eyes and tried reaching for it. "can i wear it?" he cringed but looked to karl who had a cheeky smile on his face. alex groaned in defeat and laid his chin back on karls chest. he happily put it on his head making his fluffy hair stick out of the front of the beanie. 

alex thought he looked good with it on but he would never say that in front of karl. alex started to draw swirls on the colorful stripe that was on karls sweater. "do you remember anything from last night q?" alex looked up at him and chuckled. "did something amazing happen? if so then please do tell." karl could tell by the joking tone in his voice he didn't remember a thing. 

karl frowned but then forced a smile. "nothing that amazing happened, but you were on the floor in my hallway laughing." "mmm okay okay." he moved some hair out of his face and continued to outline obscure shapes on karls upper body. 

karl didn't regret kissing alex. it was his first kiss and it was nice and it sparked something new in karls heart. what he did regret was doing it with the knowledge that alex would forget the next day. he always forgets stuff when he has downed that much alcohol in one sitting. 

karl eyes how every time he breathed alex's head moved up and down. it was calming and made him forget. but it quickly came back to him every time alex looked up at him. the love in his eyes from the night before being replaced with a blank stare. he could smell nicks cooking and hoped he would finish. every time he looked his best friend all he thought about was that kiss and his heart ached to have another sweet moment like that. he knew that it was only because of the alcohol that it happened but the emotion in his eyes held a while different meaning. 

"its ready you guys, come eat." 

alex groaned in annoyance and rolled off of karl. all you could hear was a loud bump and the alex's loud laugh. "i forgot the floor was made of fucking wood!" the three of them laughed for what felt like forever. karl rolled onto his side and fell off the couch. alex screamed but karl maneuvered to where he fell on the side of alex and hit the back of his head on his coffee table. he covered that part of his head and made a noise signaling that it his hurt from the impact. nick walked over hearing the noise and jogged over to karl. "you okay karl?" 

alex tried to hold back his laughter but let out a weird noise he didn't even know he could make. that was all it took for the three of them to start laughing even harder than before. alex and karl were in tears while nick was coughing from the continuous laughter. 

"ah a-alright you two get up and come eat. you guys were asleep when i got back and didn't eat last night." alex got up and stuck a hand out for karl to grab. karl took it happily and alex helped him off the ground. "your head okay? need to get stitches before bugs start to crawl in there?" "ewww no what the honk?" alex giggled and made his way to karls counter and sat on one of the seats. 

"so what are we eating here sap?" "breakfast sandwiches. egg, cheese and spinach but no cheese on yours small q." alex scoffed and smacked nick on the arm. "shut the fuck up i am not small." karl laughed with his first bite in his mouth trying not to choke. alex looked at karl with annoyance in his face. "i think the man in front of me got brain damage from hitting his head." karl stayed silent with an amused look on his face while he continued eating. 

alex slowly ate his sandwich not wanting to overdue it. he didn't eat all day yesterday. he only drank liquids, being alcohol, yesterday. "you savoring the food q?" alex nodded not paying attention to nick. nick hummed in response and grabbed a bag from next to him. 

karl furrowed his eyebrows and tried to snatch the bag from nick. "nuh uh karl!" alex looked at nick in confusion. "what is it?" nick pulled out two boxes that looked like jewelry boxes. "are you proposing to us nickyy?" karl said with a laugh at the end. 

"you wish karl." "okay okay settle down children, here is yours," he handed a blue colored box to alex. "and this one is yours." he handed the other pink box to karl. "open them." the boys opened their boxes and karl let out a surprised gasp and alex smiled. karls ring had a A and a N on it while alexs had a K and a N on it. "i already have mine." nick lifted up his hand and showed his ring that had a A and a K on it. 

"nick, how much was this?" karl picked up the ring with so much delicacy which made nick smile. alex already put his on his left ring finger. he had his hand under the table and couldn't stop smiling at the wonderful gift. "umm i'd rather keep a secret, just know that i saved up for it." karl put his on his right ring finger and twirled it around. 

karl got up and hugged nick tightly and couldn't stop the smile growing on his face. "thank you so much, i love it." he pulled his right arm away from nick at looked at the ring around his finger. "wheres my hug from big q himself?" alex looked up and looked at the two hugging. he chuckled and got off his seat and joined the hug. they held eachother for a few minutes before nick got a call on his phone. the two boys pulled away while nick answered the call, walking into the living room. 

alex felt arms wrap around his waist and a chin on his shoulder. he looked over and saw karl his left. "nicks so sweet." karl looked down at alex fidgeting with the new weight on his hand. "yeah he is." alex leaned his temple on karls while looking at both of their rings. he concentrated on the cake sent coming from karl and the taste on his lips. 

why the fuck did it taste like cake? 

nick came back in the room and sighed as he put his phone in his pocket. "my boss just called me and told me i have to go home for work purposes." karl pouted and nick grabbed his things. "i think we'll have to hang in a day or two because i dont know how long this work thing is going to last." alex nodded and they both watched as nick made his way out of karls apartment. they heard the door lock and the faint footsteps go down the hall. 

"alex?" karl grabbed alex's hand and held it. "hmm, whats up?" karl took a deep breath before speaking. "h-how much do you drink.. in a day?" alex's breath hitched and karl felt it. karl squeezed the hand that was in his and waited patiently for alex to answer. "umm what?" alex turned his head to look at karl. "i-i was just wondering because me and nick have seen you in bars by yourself multiple times. its a lot during the day but even more at night and im worried, especially because of how you showed up here yesterday." 

alex pried himself out of karls arms and started to grab his things. "hey hey alex i-" "you don't need to worry about me karl, im fine." alex said said with a stern tone. karl was confused but he kept on trying. "look whatever is going on you can talk about it and tell me. do you want nick here? i can-" "nothing is going on karl!" karl flinched a little as alex yelled at him. alex's face slightly dropped at karls reaction but then turned away. he headed to the door with karl following closely behind. 

"alex you know you can tell me and nick everything and we won't judge you for it. we-we want to help and-" "karl, can you please,for the love of god, shut your mouth." alex looked at karl. he did look mad but he looked more sad than frustrated or annoyed. alex turned away from him and left his apartment with a slam of the door. 

karls mind started to race. 

_why was he avoiding it?_

_was there something wrong?_

_was he an alcoholic?_

_why did he show up drunk?_

karls eyes started to water. 

_he was drunk._

_he was drunk._

_he kissed you._

_you kissed him._

_your best friend._

_you kissed._

_he was on top of you and kissing you._

_you were kissing him._

_you kissed._

_you kissed._

_you kissed._

_you kissed._

karl fell to the floor.

_ he doesn't know. _

_he doesn't remember._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for getting through umm i just wanted to say im writing on notes and i have a few chapters written already but i have it like that so i dont post a chapter and then have nothing and give myself stress on having to write. i want to write this when im passionate about it and get inspiration. i have a lot of inspiration right now but i still dont know when im going to post next but im sure it will be sooner than you think. thanks for reading ;3


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